Malice is the desire to hurt, harm, or upset someone on purpose. It’s more than just anger; it’s wanting something bad to happen to another person.
From Old French 'malice', from Latin 'malitia' meaning 'badness' or 'ill will', based on 'malus' meaning 'bad'. Over time it narrowed from general 'wickedness' to the specific idea of wanting to do harm.
In law, 'malice' can decide whether something is an accident or a serious crime, because it’s about what someone meant to do. Whenever you see 'mal-', you’re seeing the same root that powers 'malice'—the idea of bad or harmful intent.
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